On Wednesday, the city council made Siegfried Benker the first member of the Green Party to be made an honorary citizen of Munich. The general assembly recognized his “outstanding services” to the city’s society. In more than 40 years, he has been particularly successful in promoting successful integration, a modern immigration policy, the appropriate treatment of people infected with HIV and in the fight against right-wing extremism, according to a statement.
The 66-year-old Benker represented the Greens on the city council for 20 years, sixteen of which as chairman of the parliamentary group. He then headed the Munich Foundation, in which the municipal old people’s homes are organized, for more than ten years. He retired at the end of September 2023.
“I am of course very happy,” said Benker in his first reaction on the phone. As always, the city council made the decision in a closed meeting when honoring the event. The public award ceremony will take place later. Benker said he literally feels very honored that his decades of work are now being recognized in this way. He would celebrate the award in the evening, after all only a few received it. Exactly, Benker is only number 67 in the list of Munich honorary citizens.
As parliamentary group leader, he shaped the red-green coalition for a long time
In 1993 he joined the city council for the Greens and, as parliamentary group leader, played a key role in shaping the 24-year-long red-green coalition in Munich. When the Greens left the city government in 2014, Benker had already taken on his new role. As Munichstift boss, he was responsible for looking after around 2,100 seniors, divided into nine nursing homes and four houses for independent living.
When Benker moved to the management position in 2013, he looked for a successor from the Greens for the fight against right-wing extremism, which was so important to him. At that time he found a very young party colleague named Dominik Krause. He moved into the city council in 2014, also rose to the position of parliamentary group leader and was sworn in as the city’s second mayor on the same day. The committee had already elected him at the end of October. “A young man who still has a career ahead of him and an older man who is being honored for his 40 years of service” fit together perfectly, says Benker.
Dominik Krause was sworn in as mayor.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
Dominik Krause was also able to enjoy the day. “The election itself is becoming more and more exciting – today, it’s just a real joy,” said Krause at his swearing-in. He is still in close contact with his former mentor Benker today. “He was also an advisor to me as parliamentary group leader.” The Greens celebrated two men in the city council and said goodbye to a woman. Julia Post gave up her mandate because she will represent Munich as a member of the state parliament in the future. Gunda Krauss is replacing them.
The SPD also adopted a city councilor on Wednesday, and a prominent one at that. Christian Müller, leader of the Social Democrats’ parliamentary group for four years, will soon start his new job as managing director of the new municipal housing group Münchner Wohnen. His co-party leader Anne Hübner praised him as a sincere and direct politician who will be missed by her group. Müller is followed by an old acquaintance of city politics: Marian Offman was first a member of the committee for the CSU, then, after changing parties, for the SPD, before missing out on re-entry in 2020.